Boris Johnson is using the Edinburgh Fringe to launch a chat show, however, none of his guests have shown up. Therefore, Boris is going to answer questions from the audience and invite one (un)lucky member up for an interview. Can Johnson actually answer a question? Can he keep his roving eye under control?
While queuing for the show, the audience is given cards on which to write questions for the Prime Minister to answer. On sitting down, Chumbawamba starts up, but there’s no Boris. Turns out he’s in his dressing room getting ready in one of a number of pre-recorded segments. His big entrance spoiled, it’s time for him to mess up his hair and bumble onto stage. His audience is not overly friendly, and he never gets them on side.
Britain has a proud and long tradition of savagely roasting former and current political leaders from all parties. It’s practically a national pastime. No matter where you turn there are witty and cutting remarks about the soon-to-be former Prime Minister, but none are on show here. Instead, there is an over reliance on tired cliches and bumbling as comedy. Watching Johnson trying to get to grips with ‘wokeness’ and not being a racist is cringey and too close to the real Johnson to be fun.
A little sympathy must be given to writer Jonathan Maitland. Putting on a show about Boris Johnson and managing to keep up to date with all the political changes must have been challenging. Maitland tries to drive home some of the issues related to Johnson’s premiership: the negative repercussions of Brexit and the disastrous consequences of policy during the early stages of the Covid pandemic. But these attempts don’t hit home, instead they get lost in the noise. It’s a shame as Will Barton gives a decent impression of Boris, and his ability to waffle around an audience question without answering it is quite impressive. And the pre-filmed segments in the dressing room are well done and the flow of the show is fairly seamless.
Barton is a game Boris. However, the script is lacklustre and toothless. Boris: Live at Five gives a decent impression of Boris Johnson but the jokes don’t land and you’ll be checking your watch waiting for Boris to disappear into the political wilderness.